cubby

What number are you? I'm 151. Entries for the solos are now full again, i thinkk after only a few days of opening although haven't go the full story yet. Plenty of sidecar entries left if you fancy it though!

Always a tricky one but i would recommend getting stuff booked as early as possible to avoid disapointment. It is busy with it being MGP but no where near TT level. If you contact the Tourist Board they will be able to point you in the right direction for hotels and bed & breakfasts. If you contact the entries secretary as detailed on the regs he can let you know if you got the entry back in time. The official confirmations hould be sent out in nthe first week of May.

Entries are now open for this years Manx National Two Day Trial The event will take place on 25th and 26th August, the bank holiday weekend. To get an entry form visit the website www.manx2day.com and download a copy of the relevant entry form, fill it in and return it asap. Good luck!

It had crossed my mind actually and that could be why he hasn't replied. Actually i know that he has been back on a bike already after some pretty intensive physio sessions and after using the local hyberbaric chamber. Sounds like the recovery is going quite well.

i have taken Glcoamine quite a lot during the last 4 or 5 years as I was doing a lot of on road running (training and running marathons) and it didn't seem to do any harm at all. Always difficult to tell as i haven't done the same amount of exercise without it, but my view is that it works. Have got the whole running thing out of my system now so don't take it any more as currently not really in training mode.

Cheers for the advice. Flywheel weight ordered today. Haven't spoken to him but did txt him the other day. Seems to be doing ok so far from what I hear.

After finally deciding that i cannot ride my 300 in nit's present format is there anyone that can advise which is the best mod to do? My two options are: 1) Thicker head gasket - currently has the thinnest available - what effect would this have? 2) fly wheel weight - what effect does this have? Cheers

Muppet GG249uk - Where did you make your purchase? Dealership, private?? Price seems cheap (cheap is good!), i've seen similar age and mileage for more money. Is there a website (other than TC clasifieds) that anyone can recommend.

Top Gear is essential viewing in our house and one of the biggest fans is my missus. And the episode on Sunday in America was the funniest thing i have seen for ages, especially the reveal of the slogans on the sides of the cars. They were spot on on the reactions they got were hilarious. I think several people have summed up already that this programme is now more about entertainment and having fun rather than conducting serious reviews of cars, and thats why it is doing so well. When you talk of dumbing down have you seen the news on BBC or ITV recently!!!!!! ITV is so bad and in the style of gutter tabloid journalism that i find it hard to watch, always trying to provoke headline grabbing responses from interviewees or sensationalisin irrelevant stories on what are obviously slow news days. I mean if you want one programme to be serious and informative then I guess this is it. Channel 4 news is much better although I don't watch it that much as it's baby bedtime then!!!

Let me whet your appetite a little..... The trial starts with the dedicated signing on event on the Friday evening, a great opportunity to study the route, sort out where he support crews will be going and meet up with other riders anf friends, or make some new ones. Fast forward to 8am the next day and the first riders are departing for their first days riding under the shadow of the world famous TT Grandstand. We use the full scruitneering and paddock facilities for the strt of the trial both days. The atmosphere is electric and as usual there are a few not feeling quite so electric after a few too many in nthe nigtspots around Douglas. After a couple of early miles on the road to get out of Douglas the trial starts with an indication of the variety to come, glens, slate quarries, spar quarries, seaside volcanic rock, sand, mud, moorland etc etc. We are lucky that within this small island we have incredible variety of terrain. After a lap of the southern end of the Island on Saturday, lasting usually 65 miles and around 9 hours riders start beary eyed on Sunday morning once again from the TT Grandstand. Sunday is mainly focussed in the Northern half of the Island and in typically a lap of around 60 miles over 8 hours. Again the varitey of terrain is distinct and we use some of the best tracks/trails that the Island has. Once the final section is completed it i back to the Villa Marina on Douglas promenade for a free pint provided by the organisers! Later on that evening the magnificent royal hll plays host to the prize presentation takes place with almost 1000 people celebating every finisher, who each get their opportunity up on stage to collect their award. The fact that the trial also runs a large sidecar class definately adds to the atmosphere and it is probably the largest gathering of trials competitiors each year. With 275 solo entries there is bound to be a bit of queuing, but for each person who complains about that there is also someone who hasn't been in a queue all weekend. And yes, it costs to come over on the ferry, but the earlier you get booked, and the more people you fit in the van the cheaper it is so it' all relative really. And the following day (Bank Holiday Monday) there is Manx Grand Pri racing on the Mountain Course, hich if you've never seen is something you must do! Need any more convincing? The regs are out in bout April o if you want on the mailing list drop a line to manx2daytrial@hotmail.com and we will add you to the mailing list. If you rode in '06 you will already get a set. Eddy Lejeune - i believe they're putting another ferry on this year so will have increaed number of sailings to Belfast. Don't know the details but it can't be worse than what they have been offering for the last few years. Might be worth checking out!

The Manx Two Day always happens on August bank Holiday weekend, which in 2007 falls on August 25/26. Looks like you'll be after a new job shortly!

Cheers Baldilocks. I strated off the same thinking that it wasn't a massively different to my 250. That was until I had to ride it between sticks set put by someone else! My first step will be to put on the thicker gasket and go from there so it will be interesting to hear how your mods work out. Still slac though and haven't even started!

Anyone who hasn't voted, please do. A green lane is what we call the track. Basically they are third class public roads and therefore are a right of way. However if the ramblers have their way we will begin to have major difficulty staging the Two Day and other events from this year onwards. And a small other point, if you are planning a weekend with your mates trainl riding on the Island, please book it for another time and let the furore die down. As you all know, the mindless few are ruining it for everyone else, and go help us if the ban does happen. Please support and take a few seconds to vote P.s. The answer is no!

Gasserman - Nothing too special, just has the suspension and carburation set up really well. This makes such a difference and it pickes up and grips as good as anything. He did have a Kehin carb on it but I've got the standard one back on it now. I bought another bike off him a few years agao, it was one he won the Scottish on, I think in 97? It was a 270 and was probably the best bike I have ever had. It was so well sorted and handled absolutely brilliantly. When it came back from Scotland the engine had everything renewed and the suspension was nicely run in.

Yep, although not one he has ridden in earnest so basically it is brand new, just set up for him. He lives just round the corner from me. It has '07 forks and electrics and has some bark when you give it some stick. Black Renthal bars, clamps and black sprockets, so it looks pretty cool. Haven't managed to get anything sorted yet as have been too busy at work, but hopefully in the next couple of weeks. On saying that I rode a trial on Sunday where the sections were not too tight and you could let her rip.....and rip she did! Gripped really well and I throughly enjoyed it....and had a decent ride as well.

Mine's a '97 Caddy and the bike fits in with bags of room. Still has the bulkhead in place and no probs.

Well the reason for buying the bike was a lot to do with

Have been riding my new 300 for a few weeks and need to knock the edge of the performance a little. Usual mods like flywheel weight etc I know about, but someone has suggested swopping the middle box from an ally one to a steel one. They say it works a treat, so does anyone have expeience of this or can confirm if it works?

Many thanks, just what I wanted to know and wanted to hear Just got to find one now!

gaz As you my have noticed I have just done exactly that - 250 to 300. Still not sure t the moment s to be honest I haven't been out in enugh events yet. However in bottom gear it feels similar, just pulls stronger and a there is a bit more there than the 250. In other gears it is even more so! I'll let you have a go at the next trial. Mine has had the inition switch thingy taken off it.....you know that button which supposedly slows it down slightly if the conditions are wet or slippy. I think I will put it back on and see if there is a difference.

Hello I noticed you van from the picture on your posts. it looks exactly like the kind of model i am going to start looking for in a couple of months. Can you give me some info about the model and where you got it? Also, do you have rear seats and can yoou still fit a bike in ok if so? Cheers Cubby

Yeah, well done Katy, absolutely brilliant! You've had a pretty good season all round, and certainly showed us the way to go at the Manx this year as well beating plenty of handy riders. You fully deserve a nice rest now! Until the next trial that is

When Squarefoot rode the Scott Trial last year I believe he was doing awfully well, that was until the poor inocent little Scorpa he was riding started to wilt under the hammering he was giving it! I reckon that you should let him ride on his works KTM and see where he finishes. He rides it like a trials bike through the technical stuff so probably wouldn

Gaz, you need a bit more weight over the back wheel Try a few Mac D's and you should get another few pounds to help with the grip issues. On a serious note mate, I think technique is the key. I always find that riding the clutch, and practising feeding in the power smoothly is te best bet. I don't reckon any specific mods will help on a 250 as they are not the most firey power wise. The tip given by motojojo sounds pretty much how I ride and haven't had any issues. Give me a shout and we'll go out practising.

A forum of some kind is better than no forum at all, but I fully agree with the comments made by Woody: 1) You would still need face to face meetings to finalise decision making 2) Online forums definately get very opinionated and arguments/discussions often seem very one sided Additionally the ACU need to work on communications a little more. I am a member of an organising committe, ride regularly etc etc but didn't know about the forum until it was too late. if riders know it is taking place they should be encouraed all year to raise these issues with club officials, or online for discussion and ratification. This would encourage more toattend the meeting as it would have a higher profile. My only other concern if the forum went online is that whilst it is difficult to tell how many people post to he boards regularly (unless your Andy of course ) then I have a feeling that there are a very vocal minority active in these here parts? Not something that cannot be changed over time, but may not give a full representation of views nationally. I may be wrong but something worth considering. It's good to talk!